“Besides the fiscal benefit  … this is a spark of hope … something positive in a realm of negativity,” Horan said.

GRAND ISLE, La. – Nearly five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf, another tragedy has taken fishermen and residents by storm—this time, a man-made one.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has created a “fishery disaster” in Louisiana, whose $2.4 billion seafood industry supplies roughly 40 percent of the domestic seafood supply, and as a state, is the second biggest U.S. seafood harvester and provider of shrimp, oysters, crab and crawfish.

With more than 33 percent of Gulf waters closed to fishing, the financial situation is quickly turning grim for fishermen and those whose livelihood is dependent on these waters.

“These folks are really hurting,” said OBI President Bill Horan. “They’re just barely recovering from Hurricane Katrina and this oil spill is not only affecting them today and tomorrow, but for months and years to come.”

Thanks to a partnership between Operation Blessing and Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter, however, a unique soft-shell crab shedding system is helping turn the tide for these struggling crab fishermen.

Crabs are placed in holding tanks like these until they shed and can be sold as soft-shell crabs.

The system, which was developed by Louisiana Sea Grant and implemented by LSU after Hurricane Katrina, enables crab fishermen to reserve certain hard-shell crabs just before they shed (called Busters) and keep them in holding tanks until they shed and can be sold as soft-shell crabs.

OBI is kicking off the project by supplying soft-shell shedding kits, consisting of several shallow tanks, filters and water pumps, to an initial 25 families.

Since soft-shell crabs typically sell for more than twice as much as hard-shell crabs, the financial benefit of this program will go a long way in helping these families recover.

One system, or shedding kit, will generally yield 600 dozen soft crabs in a season, averaging 10 to 12 dozen per week, and is expected to increase each family’s income by approximately $14,000 annually.

“Besides the fiscal benefit, what excites me most about this is that it is a spark of hope … something positive in a realm of negativity,” Horan said. “There’s a lot to be depressed about if you’re a fishing family in the Gulf and this may light a fire of hope in the hearts of these families.”

This is the first of several projects to aid Gulf Coast families.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

 

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